


Not Mean

by MoSteamyBeats



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: A softer look at the King Kaard dynamic, Fic Commission (kinda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:03:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoSteamyBeats/pseuds/MoSteamyBeats
Summary: Rouxls Kaard notices that the King of Spades seems down this morning.





	Not Mean

The four stately kings could be somewhat decorus when the mood struck them. King Diamond always insisted that their throne be polished to be a near mirror-like sheen. King Hearts silently imposed a free hugs law that single-tendrilly made Hathys the most deadly of the castle residents. Even King Club had succumbed to a lavish lethargy now that they had provided a legal heir to their throne. Of all the kings, the only one still energetic enough to be a leader was King Spade, and Rouxls had doubts as to whether this was a good thing or not.

'He's a good King..' Rouxls thinks as he tries to gently wake his Lordship. A deep growl emits from his bowelth as Spade turns from him. Rouxls lets out a sigh but smiles down at the king's little nub of a tail.

"Presently, liege, be not mulishest in thine duties to the populace." He chided just as he began to vigorously rub the stump of his lord's tail. Spade began to whine through his nose and his belly-mouth bit down onto his bed and growled with even more vigor and fury. However, this no longer troubled Rouxls, who understood from his lord's sleepy whines that he was enjoying the pets too much to be upset about waking up.

"....mmmph...stooop." King Spade glanced over his large shoulder, his black eyes glittering beneath his blue hood. He seemed grumpy, but his tail was wagging too hard, his bowelth was practically purring and it all gave him away.

"Time is uponst thee to commencest thine day, mi'lord." Rouxls smiled brightly as he waited for King Spade's intellect to catch up with the rest of him in order to decode his pleasant words.

"Don't suppose any of the others will be watching the Light Fountain today?" He yawned both his mouth and bowelth as he spoke and for a moment, Rouxls was unable to answer. He was momentarily captivated by the sight of King Spade's incredible teeth.

"N-Nay, Your Majesty, thricelyest, your will to reign unimpededidly goes unchallengederest." The King didn't respond immediately either, perhaps lost in the translation part way through 'reign' and 'impededidly'. "None will be joining you, King Spade." Rouxls, not unkindly yet, tiredly translated. 

"Hmf. Figures." He all but growled, turning from Rouxls. "I'll be doing my duty. Bring me word of the people's plights and I will answer them." As the King of Spades marched away, Rouxls noticed that he seemed forlorn.

Determined to not focus on the sulky Spade King, given that all of the Kings were sulky, Rouxls Kaard thought it best to focus upon his own duties. He made sure the rotations of the Ruddin's were precise enough to cut with a glance. He made sure the Hathy's had all of the baking goods they would need to organize the next bake sale. He sat down and 'enjoyed' a tea party with Clover, as she excitedly chittered at him about loving trees, eating trees, and being frightened of heights. She was still so tiny, it was incredible that she could adeptly hold her three heads up. As they were enjoying Hathy donuts and tepid water, the King interrupted to spend some time with his kit. Rouxls found it hard to follow a three to five conversation, but the Duke was prepared to make due.  
"But I don't want to climb the tree, Daddy, it frightens me..."  
"I understand darling, but you shall conquer your fears in time, my dear, why I recall I was once terrified of my own tail--"  
"--bark of the Dark Candy trees tastes like the Darkener Fountain and like my teeth ache!!"  
"That sounds great, my kit!! Be sure to use your claws to leverage against the tree proper~"  
"And you say you don't want to hurt the tree, Clover? How could you possibly hurt it?"  
"Daddy, trees have feelings just like I do! What if my claws make it sad??"

"You seem down, Duke." Rouxls jolted at being addressed. One of the King's heads was unoccupied with his chatty child and was levelled with him, gaze rock steady. Rouxls wondered how he managed it all that way. "Tell me your ails. You've been instrumental in curing ours."

"Thou does me a thousandsest kindnesses, but I merely performeth the role assignededest to one of mine standing." The head regarding him gave a soft chuckle and leaned in towards Rouxls. This head nuzzled against him. "My..my Lord.." Rouxls felt himself flush from such a kind regard. The King of Clubs wasn't nearly as affectionate as say, the King of Hearts, but when they did engage in physical affects it was always with warmth.

"Duke Rouxls Kaard, I am indebted to you for all that you do for us Kings. Please allow me to repay a little of the debt we owe to you." As Rouxls looked into the three-eyed face, he felt an odd pull. A pull that made him long for such a warmth for another. Rouxls let out a sigh, and allowed his shoulders to fall, along with all of his gracious aires.

"It's just....His Lordship seemed upset on this morn...ah." He suddenly looked back into the three eyes of the solemn King. "The King of Spades." An immediate change came over the Club King's face. 

"Well, he's rather distant even with us fellow kings. So serious all the time..." He glanced towards Clover, even though four out of his five heads were fully focused on his lovely chittering kit. "Best not to worry about him unduly. He has little to offer you." Rouxls was surprised by this frank analysis of the King of Spades. It was so at odds with what Rouxls knew about the titular King. The King of Clubs noticed Rouxls' distraction. "Ah, I suppose you have other duties today, do you not? I can handle my Clover, dear Rouxls." The Duke bowed in gratitude to the quintet King and left him to his heiress.

The citizens were quite satisfied today. Rouxls heard a lot of positive remarks about the puzzles, the traps, the mazes. It was all perfect for when the Lightners returned. The Duke decided to give the King the good news. Well, he had mostly decided.

The King of Diamonds was the Card Castle's Treasurer and like the Spade King, he actually did his duty. If only because he viewed all the riches as his riches and he had to know how much of his vast riches he had and how perfect each gold coin and cubic jewel glittered in the anti light of the Darkener world. Entering his 'office' was a bloody puzzle in its own right, because the serpentine King was liable to be very agitated if any of his precious jewels were to be tarnished. A few Rudinns perpetually kept the King company, shining the jewels, polishing the gold, and polishing the King's tail. 

"My Lorde of Diamonds, how dost the treasure farest on this fine morrow?" Rouxls intoned. A sharp green gaze nearly ripped a hole in Rouxls jacket as the Diamond King shifted his attention. A smile pulled across his scaly features. His teeth gleamed even brighter than the bullions that surrounded them.

"Oh my precious riches shine brighter and grow in quantity each passing day. And my sweet Rudinns shine just as bright as my jewels. My darling, dearest Rudinns.." He hissed happily and Rouxls watched the little serpent soldiers preen under their decorus king's regard. Rouxls always wondered how honest he was in his praise of the Rudinns. Though childless, like most of the kings, the King of Diamonds projected all of his paternal instincts on his subjects. 

"This doth bode pleasurable for the society of the Darkener populairey ein masseder at large quantitiest." Now it was the King's turn to preen under Rouxls' flattery. Rouxle approached the gleaming throne and settled himself down into his customary position among the King's glittering coils. As was their habit, the Diamond King's secondary hands began to comb through Rouxls' shining hair.

"You can't hide your mood from me behind glittering words, Kaard." Diamond Snake chided as he settled down his jewels and coins. "Why have you come to the treasure hoard? You hate distraction and you are a bauble that shines as bright as the Lightner fountain." His hisses slid down Rouxls' back like water, and made him shudder internally. His words were honeyed daggers and they were pleasant, but he also spoke true; Rouxls wasn't going to be distracted by idle flattery.

"The King of Spades doth cast his gazest's downcaste and his tread breathes of gloometh." The King of Diamonds let out an exasperated sigh and continued to play with Rouxls' hair. The Duke took note that the even the Great Serpent's bon vivant attitude shifted to a more dismissive air upon hearing 'Spade'.

"Don't worry about him too much." The King of Diamonds attention shifted to his gold. His jewels. "The King of Spades has no citizens and no real duties of his own. Hearts has the domain of the citizens, we Diamonds have domain of the treasures, and Club has domain of the castle. But what of Spade?" 

Moved by the need to defend his King, Rouxls cleared his throat in vain. "The Spades tradition holde court ofst the amassmenteth over warfare--" The jewels clattered on the table and Rouxls felt the coils begin to squeeze.

"Exactly! We are at peace! There are no Lighteners for him to amass an army for! There is nothing for him to Lord over. He is obsolete and he is foolish to think otherwise!" Rouxls felt himself recoil from the harsh stab of the Diamonds' words. But he could find no real fault in the logic. The Lightners were not their to give them purpose but there were Rules left in place for them to occupy themselves with. Except Spade. Diamond watched the tense expression on Rouxls face and all at once he seemed more viper than pet. Rouxls reached forward and gently stroked the Diamond's snout.

"If thou words beareth the fruits of trutheth, then tis mine oath to divinatest a purpose for the errant Lorde. A King cannot be oust from dominion. Tis a Roul." Rouxls spoke with as much dignity as he could amass and the King melted under the impact of the Duke's role. He loosened his coils and laid himself back out across his throne. Rouxls stood up and fixed his jacket. "I must be away, Diamond King. Mine duties hail me elsetwhere." He turned on his heels and marched away from the Diamond Treasurer.

As he left, he heard one final address from the monetary liege, "Be cautious, Duke. Be cautious." Rouxls closed the door as he listened to the hissing laughter of the King of Diamonds and his litter of Rudinns.

Everyone expects that the fountains roar. But they are silent. The Light Fountain is the only source of light without Lighteners and Rouxls has always found it to be a breathtaking sight. Seeing the King of Spades silently preside over the Fountain, watching its ethereal light as it warms the castle and the hearts of the Darkener citizens, Rouxlz wonders what he thinks of while he watches the light pool.

"My liege..." Rouxls started out and received no reply, "The citizens speak praiseth for the Suits. Their cup runneth over and they want for naught. This day is pleasant and they partake of its delights with the whispereth of joys." The King of Spades looked up to where the Light seemed to disappear into the atmosphere.

"...Is that so, Rouxls?" His voice rumbled out like boulders sliding down a mountainside. "You speak truly...?" It was a question Rouxls wasn't often asked. 

"Truly, your Highness." With that confirmation, The King of Spades let out a grunt and fell back with a heavy thud. Rouxls flinched at the sound of the impact. "My Lord?!" He rushed to the King's side and fell to his knees beside Spade. As he gazed up to the King's face, he was astonished to see a small, soft smile on the Spade king's visible portion of his face.

"I'm glad...for the people." He rumbled and the mouth on his stomach let out a discontented growl, but the King continued without acknowledging his rumbling gut. "I'd hate for them to be anxious...." Rouxls looked down at the mouth on his abdomen as it gnashed its teeth, growled, and let out a soft, high-pitched whine. Rouxls looked up to his liege who had fallen silent and tried to perceive anything underneath the spadial shade of his hood.

"If...if I may, m'Lorde.." Rouxls gently placed one of his ink-stained hands on Spade's gloved paw. "Woe would behoovest me to presume your Lordship's uneased mind--" Spade regarded him with a confused, slightly frustrated expression and Rouxls softened. "It would be upsetting to think you suffered the anxiety you shield the people from." 

The silence enveloped the two of them as they watched the fountain. Rouxls let himself drop his guards as he felt his lordship do likewise. Spade's paw was much larger than Rouxls' hand. It was like he could feel each sinew relax as his king allowed his own paw to encompass Rouxls' dainty digits. 

"I didn't know you cared, Rouxls..." He spoke so softly, it could've been swallowed by the surrounding light. Rouxls smiled and leaned against his lord.

"Of course I care, my liege. It isn't just my role." He traced his fingers along Spade's arm. "I've been in the Card Castle for a long time, Your Highness. I can see what's in front of me." He took a breathe and took the plunge. "I know that you aren't truly cold. You're just shy..." He could feel his king begin to stiffen beneath his gentle hold. "You're anxious to be yourself to the other Kings because you're worried it means you'll be soft, but..." He sits up and looks up at King Spade. 

Carefully, he reached up and gently touched the edge of King Spade's hood. He frowned and let out a soft whine at the intrusion. Softly, softly, Rouxls lifted the hood and gently pushed it away from the gentle features of the canine king.

"There's no rule against being soft, Spade..." Rouxls gently pet the fur of Spade's face, resting his hand on his cheek. The King of Spades reached up and cradled Rouxls hand against his face. The relief that swept over the King's face was heart-wrenching to watch. Rouxls' felt his heart pound as the king nuzzled his face into his small hand, licking his palm gently, as if afraid to hurt the smaller man. Or to be hurt. "Hey..." he whispered, and leaned up to the King's face. He never finished the statement.

The warmth of his kiss was unlike any he could've predicted. Under the light of the Lightner fountain, Rouxls wrapped his arms around King Spade's shoulders and allowed the king to lift him up and prop him up against his large anatomy. His mouth along his gut made a soft, purring sound and Rouxls felt the large tongue begin to wind around his waist. Rouxls smiled in the kiss and gently pulled their faces apart. The King's soft ears flopped to the side of his head shyly and Rouxls felt himself laugh.

"I wonder, my Lord..." He started and playfully placed his hands on his large, soft chest. He ran his fingers through the short fur, feeling the powerful muscle beneath strain against his touch, "if your ears are as sensitive as your tail."

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about from a conversation my husband was having with his friends about the King Kaard ship and asked if I could write something incorporating those ideas into a sample of my writing.


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